By Thane Grauel

WESTPORT — The Planning and Zoning Committee of the Representative Town Meeting on Monday discussed whether it should play a role in the full body’s decision on whether to approve $630,000 for a Jesup Green parking redesign.

The consensus appeared to be yes, but exactly how is not yet clear. And many members appeared to agree that more information and understanding of the project to remake downtown parking  — and alter Jesup Green itself  — is needed.

Committee Chairman Matthew Mandell, District 1, pointed out several times that the committee was discussing the matter not to go over the nuts and bolts of the project, but to see if members felt it was something the committee should discuss further and weigh in on.

The project would fell several mature trees and pave the upper hill of Jesup for 42 parking spots, to replace those lost in Parker Harding Plaza redesign. The lost green space would later be replaced between the lower green and the river, envisioned in a future phase of the project.

Mandell said Monday’s meeting would not include any votes.

He said he’d had discussions with Public Works Director Peter Ratkiewich, who is on vacation this week.

“They’re willing to put up a presentation on the ground in Jesup where they will mark out the space,” Mandell said. “That’s what Jack Klinge [District 7] had requested … So that’s one of the things that we hear coming forward.”

“So the question is, what do we want to do as a committee, what information do we want to have?” Mandell said, stressing that he wanted Monday’s discussion to be in public so no one would feel there was a lack of transparency.

“I want to make sure that everything we do is totally in the public eye,” he said.

Seth Braunstein, District 6, who is not a member of the committee, appeared at the onset of the meeting to disagree with the idea of the proposal being taken up by another committee. But his opinion appeared to change as the meeting went on.

Mandell stressed the committee would look at whether to approve the study money, not whether the project itself should get a thumbs up or thumbs down.

“To do that, we need to have a full committee meeting,” Braunstein said. “With representation from the applicant, with representation from Pete Ratkiewich and the office of the first selectwoman. To me, that would be perfectly appropriate, because the other committees have done it, why shouldn’t this committee have a voice?”

“I’d like to have more of a clarification about what the phases are, what money is involved for each phase,” said Wendy Batteau, District 8.

“I really do think we should have our own separate meeting,” said Ross Burkhardt, District 3.

He also asked if the RTM had the ability to review and override 8-24 decisions. The Planning and Zoning Commission, after a six-and-half hour meeting the week before, approved the redesign in 4-3 vote.

A day later, the full RTM was to take up the funding question the next night, but almost all members voted to delay the discussion.

Mandell told Burkhardt that only negative recommendations on an 8-24 request could be reviewed by a town’s legislative body, under state statute.

“Coming out of the RTM meeting, there seemed to be some complete indecision about how to act on approval for the monies for the study,” said Mike Perry, District 2. “The RTM really was looking for more information and so I think we need to look to what can we do between now and the next meeting to help the RTM or assist them in making that decision.”

“I’m not sure if that’s the purview of this committee,” Perry said. “But it’s needed.”

“My goal would be to talk to the moderator and discuss it,” Mandell said. “There clearly is going to be some kind of meeting on Jesup Green.” 

“I’d like to see the full plan, phase one and phase two before I say yes,” said Karen Kramer, District 5. “My constituents don’t want it, so I’d like to see the whole plan.”

Nancy Kail, District 9, who is not on the committee, agreed with many of the thoughts expressed.

“When I came to the [RTM] meeting Tuesday night, I just felt like I didn’t have enough information, given that the P&Z meeting had ended very early on Tuesday morning, to make a good decision,” she said. “That’s because of all the very good reasons you guys have provided tonight. I don’t really care if this is discussed at a P&Z Committee hearing, or at the full RTM, but I think it deserves a more robust conversation about what new information there is, what the sequence is, how that sequence differs from other projects of this size …” 

The Environment Committee of the RTM will also discuss the plan at a meeting at 6 p.m. Wednesday in Room 309 of Town Hall.

“Discuss environmental impact of the proposed Parker Harding/Jesup plan, in particular, open space and trees,” reads the agenda item. “We will have a member of the tree board joining us.”

The full RTM is to take up the appropriation on May 8, though Mandell said there had been some discussion about moving the date.

Thane Grauel grew up in Westport and has been a journalist in Fairfield County and beyond for 36 years. Reach him at editor@westportjournal.com. Learn more about us here.